The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) officially repealed the Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing (AFFH) rule, replacing it with a rule titled “Preserving Community and Neighborhood Choice.” The 2015 AFFH rule required all local, state, and public housing officials to use the Affirmatively Fair Housing Assessment Tool, which uses HUD data and questionnaires […]
Eviction Moratorium for Tenants, Landlords
The Trump Administration’s new eviction moratorium, announced Sept. 1, gives the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) authority to bar landlords from evicting most tenants for non-payment of rent through Dec. 31. The moratorium coincides with legislation signed Aug. 31 by Gov. Gavin Newsom (see details here). The new rules, which go into effect as […]
Trump Scraps Fair Housing Rule
Trump and the Department of Housing and Urban Development, led by Ben Carson, last week officially scrapped a rule meant to ensure compliance with the Fair Housing Act of 1968. Enshrined in 2015, the Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing policy held communities accountable for providing fair housing by requiring any town that wanted to receive HUD […]
July 27 – CVAR Connect
CVAR’s COVID-19 Resources REALTORS®: Updates & Guidelines What’s Happening at CVAR under COVID-19 restrictions Latest COVID-19 Updates from C.A.R. Citrus Valley Association of REALTORS® is conducting all business remotely. Meetings and classes presented by CVAR will be online and free of charge (see available classes below). ____________ Join Us July 30: CVAR and 15 real estate associations have combined […]
Rollback Planned on Environmental Regulations
President Donald Trump announced earlier this month that he is rolling back Nixon-era National Environmental Policy Act regulations for how and when authorities must conduct environmental reviews, making it easier to build highways, pipelines, chemical and solar plants and other projects. The 1970 law changed environmental oversight in the United States by requiring federal agencies […]
What It Means: President Signs Paycheck Protection Extension
President Trump has signed the Paycheck Protection Flexibility Act into law, extending the amount of time Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan recipients have to spend their funds from eight weeks to 24 weeks. It also lowers the portion of funds borrowers must spend on payroll costs to 60 percent, down from 75 percent in order […]
Trump Names FHA Nominee
The Trump administration announced last Thursday it plans to nominate Dana Wade to serve as HUD’s assistant secretary for housing and federal housing commissioner, a role that would put her in charge of the Federal Housing Administration. Brian Montgomery holds that role now, and is currently awaiting a full Senate vote to confirm him as […]
Mar-a-Lago: Inman Peaks at President’s Historic Property
By Brad Inman I rode my bike through Palm Beach to get a picture of Mar-a-Lago, President Trump’s official new Florida residence and a private club. The gates were open. The President often refers to Mar-a-Lago, which he purchased for $7 million in 1985, as the “Southern White House” or “Winter White House.” The opulent 126-room, 62,500-square-foot […]
Tariff Woes Worry CEOs
When President Donald Trump spoke to Apple’s Chief Executive Tim Cook about the impact of US tariffs on Chinese imports, Cook warned that those duties could give an edge to rival Samsung. The president said that Cook “made a good case” that the tariffs could hurt Apple, given Samsung’s products wouldn’t be subject to the […]
Impact of Fed’s Cut, Jobs Report
Below are reports from NAR’s REALTOR® magazine on the Fed interest rate cut and an excerpt from Bloomberg’s coverage of Friday’s Labor Department jobs report. Last Wednesday’s action by the Federal Reserve was the first time it cut interest rates since the Great Recession took hold in 2008. The move is not likely to deliver […]